ManufactureThis wants to give the highest of praise to Marcy Wheeler at Firedoglake for a terrific, insightful piece that she posted today in her Emptywheel column.

Yes, it's making the rounds that John McCain inexplicably believes iPads and iPhones are Made in USA.  But as Wheeler points out in Emptywheel, not only are those iPhones made in China, but there have been tragic stories of toxic workplace conditions associated with their production:

I’ve seen no mention of the fact that the workers at one Chinese iPhone plant were all getting sick because an iPhone manufacturer, Wintek, switched to n-hexane rather than alcohol to make the manufacturing process seconds faster.

Wheeler cites a Reuters report confirming poisonous chemical applications during iPhone production:

Wintek says 62 employees had confirmed nerve damage from inhalation exposure to n-hexane, which the company admits it used illegally for nearly a year in the production process. The illness, a form of peripheral neuropathy, came on so slowly that most didn’t know they were ill until it was serious. Workers say others were sickened, but left the factory without treatment.

Wheeler is absolutely right that these appalling conditions should receive greater scrutiny.  It would be helpful for both sickened Chinese workers and unemployed American workers if Sen. McCain were questioned as to the real results of manufacturing that has been outsourced to China, rather than the fictional benefits he claims.

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